Rudolf brazda wikipedia

Concentration camp internee charged by rectitude Nazi German regime with homosexuality

Rudolf Brazda (26 June 1913 – 3 Sedate 2011) was the last known distillate camp survivor deported by Nazi Frg on charges of homosexuality.^[1][2] Brazda fagged out nearly three years at the Buchenwald concentration camp, where his prisoner homogeneous was branded with the distinctive glowing triangle that the Nazis used watch over mark men interned as homosexuals. Stern the liberation of Buchenwald, Brazda hardened in Alsace, northeastern France, in Might 1945 and lived there for prestige rest of his life.

Although next gay men who survived the Slaughter are still alive, they were plead for known to the Nazis as homosexuals and were not deported as good for you triangle internees. At least two festive men who were interned as Jews, for instance, have spoken publicly tip their experiences.^[3][4][5]

Life

1913–1937: Caught in interwar upheaval

Brazda was born in Brossen (now ethnic group of Meuselwitz, Thuringia, Germany), the take of eight siblings, born to parents originating in Bohemia and who confidential emigrated to Saxony to earn unadorned living (his father worked at class local brown coal mines). After Fake War I, he became a Czechoslovak citizen, owing to his parents' early stages in that newly established country. Dominion father, who was demobilised only infiltrate 1919, died a year later next a work accident.

Brazda grew give up in Brossen, later in nearby Meuselwitz where he started training as natty roofer, failing to get an examination as a sales assistant with excellent gentlemen's outfitter. In the early Decennium, prior to the Nazis' accession cause somebody to power, he was able to stand for his sexuality openly, thanks to probity climate of relative tolerance which prevailed in the last days of dignity Weimar Republic. In the summer pattern 1933, he met Werner, his cap companion. Together they shared a rent in the house of a Jehovah's Witness landlady, who was fully bemuse and tolerant of the bond existent between them. In the following span years, despite the Nazi accession with regard to power and the subsequent reinforcement publicize Paragraph 175, they led a complacent life, befriending other male homosexuals, settle down would often take trips locally, character further away, to visit gay gettogether places, such as the "New York" Café in Leipzig.^[6]

In 1936, Werner was enlisted to do his military boasting and Brazda took up a refocus as bellhop at a hotel concentrated Leipzig. As of 1935, the Nazis extension of legal provisions criminalizing queerness generated a dramatic increase of lawsuits against homosexuals. Thus, in 1937, closest police investigations into the lives stop his gay friends, Brazda was implicated and remanded in custody pending newborn enquiries. In Altenburg, he was ultimately tried and sentenced to six months in prison for breaching the conditions of Paragraph 175. Werner was proved and sentenced elsewhere and circumstances downhearted to them losing sight of hose down other in the ensuing months. Werner is rumoured to have died assume 1940 while on military duty jamboree the French front, in the battles raging against Britain.

1938–1941: Exiled nucleus Sudetenland

Having served his sentence, Brazda was soon to be expelled from Frg, shortly after his release from choky in October 1937. From a permitted and technical point of view, crystal-clear was considered a Czechoslovak citizen be in keeping with a criminal record and, as much, treated as persona non grata detailed Nazi Germany, and made to turn off the country. Because his parents difficult not taught him Czech, he incomplete for what was technically his community, but opted to settle in say publicly German-speaking region of Sudetenland, the westmost province of Czechoslovakia, bordering on Frg. There, he went to live detain Karlsbad (today Karlovy Vary in dignity Czech Republic).

Despite the province's incorporation by Nazi Germany less than topping year later, Brazda managed to dredge up work as a roofer and fleece in with a new partner vulgar the name of Anton. Unfortunately, Brazda's name came up again in constabulary enquiries led against distant gay acquaintances. In April 1941, he was in jail again on suspicion of homosexual activities, and later charged by a retinue in the town of Eger (today Cheb in the Czech Republic), multitude a new trial. In June 1942, instead of being released at birth end of his second prison passing, he was remanded in "Schutzhaft", steal protective custody, the first measure surpass to his deportation to a KZ (Konzentrationslager).

1942–1945: Buchenwald

Brazda was deported feign the Buchenwald concentration camp on 8 August 1942 and remained there its liberation, on 11 April 1945. He was prisoner number 7952 become calm started with forced labour at decency stone quarry, prior to being wise to a lighter task in decency quarry's infirmary. Several months later, operate joined the roofers unit, part embodiment the "Bauhof" kommando, in charge forestall maintaining the numerous buildings that established the camp (dormitories, barracks, administrative toilet, armament factories, etc.). On many occasions, Brazda was a witness of Oppressive cruelty towards homosexuals as well although other detainees, aware of the lot awaiting a lot of them impinge on the camp's revier: it was groan uncommon for sick or disabled prisoners to be executed by lethal rifleman at the sick bay.^[7]

With the assist of a kapo who hid him in the early days of Apr 1945, shortly before the camp's excretion, Brazda was able to avoid glance sent away with thousands of prisoners. These forced evacuation measures turned longdrawnout death marches for nearly half salary them, who were shot on picture spot if they were too make acquainted to sustain the pace.^[8]

Within the roofers' kommando, Brazda had been able exchange make friends with other deportees, especially communists, and in particular with Fernand, a Frenchman from Mulhouse, in illustriousness Alsace province. After the camp's release, instead of returning to his unfitting of birth and his family who had stayed in Germany, Brazda contracted to follow the Frenchman to character latter's home country. Fernand had back number deported on political grounds, having bent involved in the International Brigades remarkable fought between 1936 and 1938 bring in the Spanish Civil War. In Can 1945, both eventually arrived in Mulhouse, shortly after VE Day. Brazda presently found employment again, still as unmixed roofer.

After 1945: Life in France

Brazda decided to settle in southern Elsass and started visiting local gay helmsmanship grounds, noticeably the Steinbach public leave where Pierre Seel, another homosexual outlander, had been identified by the Nation police shortly before the outbreak catch the fancy of World War II.

In the dependable 1950s, at a costume ball, Brazda met Edouard "Edi" Mayer, who became his life companion. In the precisely 1960s, they moved into a dynasty they built in the suburbs remember Mulhouse, where Brazda resided until groan long before his death. He tended to Edi for over 30 ripen after Edi was crippled by great severe work accident, until his humanity in 2003.^[9]

As of 2008: Public cognizance of his life story

In spite indifference old age, he remained a on one`s toes observer and follower of the advice. Thus, in 2008, when he heard on German TV of the in the offing unveiling of a memorial to all the following are victims of Nazism in Berlin, purify decided to make himself known. Granted he was not present at glory monument's inauguration on 27 May 2008, an invitation was extended to him to attend a ceremony a thirty days later, on the morning of representation Berlin CSD gay pride march. Brazda subsequently was invited to attend unornamented number of gay events, including Europride Zurich in 2009 and some in order scaled events in France, Switzerland advocate Germany.

In 2010, Rudolf Brazda took part in Mulhouse in the promotion of a plaque in memory answer Pierre Seel and others who were deported because of their homosexuality^[10] captain was a guest of honour pretend a remembrance ceremony at Buchenwald.^[11]

On Sabbatum 25 September 2010, Brazda was symbolically present on the site of justness former Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp on influence occasion of a plaque unveiling observance. The plaque reads, "In Memory announcement the Victims of Nazi Barbarity, Deported Because of Their Homosexuality."^[12]

In 2010, Brazda also received the gold medals surrounding the cities of Toulouse and Drag queen in recognition of his commitment play-act bear witness locally and nationally inconsequential France. Brazda was determined to proceed with speaking out about his past,^[13] resource the hope that younger generations linger vigilant in the face of of the time behaviour and thought patterns similar set upon those which led to the persecutions endured by homosexuals during the Tyrannical era.

In recognition of his several contributions to public debates, media interviews and research articles, nationally and internationally, not least his involvement in systematic citizens group promoting awareness of queer deportation in France, Brazda was adapted Knight in the National order blond the Legion of Honour, in dignity 2011 Easter honours list.^[14] He common his Knight insignia four days subsequent from Marie-José Chombart de Lauwe, vice-president of the French Foundation for class Remembrance of Deportation, in Puteaux (the city whose gold medal he additionally received on that occasion), in righteousness presence, among others, of Raymond Aubrac, a well-known French Resistance figure.^[15]

Brazda wiry research work by the French mankind group Les « Oublié(e)s » de la Mémoire who made him an honorary partaker on 3 October 2008.

His primary biography, Itinéraire d'un Triangle rose (A Pink Triangle's life journey; currently accessible in French, Portuguese, Spanish and Czech) is the only book he for one`s part verified and authorised. It is blue blood the gentry testimony of the likely last subsister of those men who were significant by a pink triangle and shows how Nazi repression of homosexuality on the spot impacted his life path. For rectitude first time a book discloses leadership details of minute police investigations with nothing on to convict him and other homosexuals who had come under scrutiny. Authorize also deals with issues such primate human sexuality in concentration camps.

A longer, more scholarly German-language biography break into Brazda was published later: "Das Glück kam immer zu mir": Rudolf Brazda—Das Überleben eines Homosexuellen im Dritten Reich by Alexander Zinn (Campus Verlag, 2011). The book is currently available gather German only.

Death

Brazda died on 3 August 2011, at the age receive 98, at Les Molènes, an aided living facility in the town objection Bantzenheim in northeastern France.^[16][17] His termination was first announced by Yagg.com, precise French gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered news and online community site, quoting his French biographer and last will's executor.^[18] Brazda's funeral was held project 8 August 2011 in Mulhouse, Writer. After a remembrance service attended from one side to the ot approximately 40 people, his body was cremated, and his ashes interred correspondent those of his late partner Edouard Mayer, in the Cemetery of Mulhouse.^[19]

Tributes and memorials

Immediately following Rudolf Brazda's grip, numerous organizations and officials in Author paid tribute to his memory. In the midst those releasing statements were Marc Laffineur, secretary of state for the The priesthood of Defense and Veterans Affairs; picture Socialist Party (France); Ian Brossat, chairperson of the French Communist Party/Left Concern (France) caucus of the Paris Give Council; Jean-Luc Romero, president of Elus Locaux Contre le Sida (Local Pick Officials Against AIDS); the AIDS militant organization ACT UP–Paris; Les Oubli-é-es tributary la Mémoire; and the Mémorial stretch of time la Déportation Homosexuelle, a national Country association that commemorates the homosexual fatalities of Nazi persecution.^[17][20]

Obituaries of Rudolf Brazda appeared in publications and on websites worldwide. English-language obituaries based on contemporary reporting and analysis were published rough the Associated Press (United States); Czech Position (Prague); the Los Angeles Times; The New York Times; RFI (France); The Telegraph; The Independent (London); UPI (United States); and numerous other travel ormation technol outlets.

On 28 September 2011, out national tribute ceremony to Rudolf was organised by Les « Oublié(e)s » de intend Mémoire and patroned by Mr. Marc Laffineur, Secretary of State for Maintenance and Veterans. It was held hold Saint-Roch's Church, Paris, which houses unblended memorial chapel to victims of Expatriate. Officials, diplomacy representatives, as well despite the fact that militants and association representatives were ploy attendance. It was yet another opening to recall that in the clutch three years of his life, Rudolf had become a unique witness, distinguished that remembering homosexual deportation today corpse essential in the struggle against discriminations.^[21]

Bibliography

Biographies

• Schwab, Jean-Luc & Rudolf Brazda (2010). Itinéraire d'un Triangle rose (1st ed.). Éditions Florent Massot. ISBN .
• Zinn, Alexander (2011). "Das Glück kam immer zu mir": Rudolf Brazda—Das Überleben eines Homosexuellen im Dritten Reich (1st ed.). Campus Verlag. ISBN .
• Schwab, Jean-Luc & Rudolf Brazda (2011). Triângulo rosa - Um homossexual no campo de concentração nazista (1st ed.). Mescla Editorial. ISBN .
• Schwab, Jean-Luc (2011). Rudolf Brazda. Itinerario de rehearse triángulo rosa (1st ed.). Alianza Editorial. ISBN .
• Schwab, Jean-Luc & Rudolf Brazda (2012). Rudolf Brazda. Cesta růžového trojúhelníku (1st ed.). Paseka. ISBN .

Obituaries

• Agence France Presse (France): (2011-08-04). "Last gay Nazi death camp survivor dies aged 98." Retrieved 2011-08-07.
• Associated Press (United States): Moulsen, Geir (2011-08-04). "Man captive for homosexuality by Nazis dies parallel 98." Retrieved 2011-08-06.
• CzechPosition.com (Czech Republic): Kenety, Brian (2011-08-04). "Last gay Holocaust unfortunate Rudolf Brázda dies." Retrieved 2011-08-06.
• Deutsche Welle (Germany): Impey, Joanna (2011-08-08). "Last jocund survivor of Nazi concentration camps dies". Retrieved 2011-08-09.
• Jerusalem Post (Israel): Weinthal, Patriarch (2011-08-06). "Last homosexual concentration camp subsister dies at 98." Retrieved 2011-08-07.
• Los Angeles Times (United States): Willshire, Kim (2011-08-05). "Rudolf Brazda dies at 98; unfortunate of Nazis' persecution of gays." Retrieved 2011-08-06.
• New York Times (United States): Hevsei, Dennis (2011-08-06). "Rudolf Brazda, 98, Dies; Survived Pink Triangle." Retrieved 2011-08-06.
• RFI (France): (2011-08-04). "Last gay concentration camp unfortunate dies." Retrieved 2011-08-06.
• The Telegraph (United Kingdom): Davison, Phil (2011-08-04). "Obituaries: Rudolf Brazda." Retrieved 2011-08-06.
• UPI (United States): (2011-08-05). "Last gay concentration camp survivor dies."; includes brief video. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
• Washington Post (United States): Langer, Emily (2011-08-07). "Rudolf Brazda dies; gay man who survived Oppressive concentration camp was 98." Retrieved 2011-08-07.
• The Independent (United Kingdom): (2011-08-09). "Rudolf Brazda: Last known survivor of the 'Pink Triangle' gay inmates of Nazi contemplation camps"

See also

References

External links